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08-22-2016 06:21 PM
@SharkE wrote:"Now, we are developing an alternative authentication option, besides text messaging, that we will implement within the next six months."
Oh Lawdy, what next little surprise hoop will we have to jump thru, wonder? Have to stand out in the middle of the Hwy. and look up at the stars with our fingers on our noses and repeat the Gettsburg Address? What fresh new *ell wil this be?
@SharkE, I know it can be exasperating, but think of all the website hacks we read about and some of us have experienced. It's really important to have layers of security, particularly on a site with so much personal information that could lead to identity theft. The "up-front" steps we take to try and protect the data are nothing compared to the aftereffects of identity theft.
08-22-2016 06:22 PM
Yea, I got a updated confirmation email from SS about it. See my "👌🏾Social Security Sign In **UPDATE**" post.
"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
08-22-2016 06:25 PM - edited 08-22-2016 07:00 PM
@Mz iMac wrote:
Yea, I got a updated confirmation email from SS about it. See my "👌🏾Social Security Sign In **UPDATE**" post.
@Mz iMac, I know, I replied earlier on your thread. Your post (new thread) is identical to the info in this thread. That was the point I tried (clumsily, I'm sorry) to make. I think posters now are confused, but perhaps the links and info in this thread will help since they do go directly to the official source.
08-22-2016 06:27 PM
Thanks everybody!
Im not sure why the other thread was started but
its all good as long as posters know we didn't share
a scam,
😊
08-22-2016 06:31 PM
@riley1 wrote:@dooBdoo - no, I didn't say it was a scam, I just mentioned I had never received any notification of this information.
Ah, my mistake! I'm sorry. Thanks for clarifying, @riley1. I think there's a wee bit of confusion about this info now but the link in the OP does go directly to the SSA and it's the very same info as in @Mz iMac's email message.
Here's the link from the OP:
Pertinent blog post at the Social Security website - http://blog.socialsecurity.gov/update-to-new-online-security/#more-1637.
08-22-2016 06:34 PM
@dooBdoo wrote:
@Snowpuppy, @on the bay, @riley1, @Mz iMac, @KaliaMonet, This thread has the links and info. The SSA notice isn't a scam.
Even so, thinking about all the scams out there targeting the 65 and older set, I would still call the SSA office to be sure. I would prefer my parents be smart and overly cautious.
08-22-2016 06:40 PM
@KaliaMonet wrote:
@dooBdoo wrote:
@Snowpuppy, @on the bay, @riley1, @Mz iMac, @KaliaMonet, This thread has the links and info. The SSA notice isn't a scam.
Even so, thinking about all the scams out there targeting the 65 and older set, I would still call the SSA office to be sure. I would prefer my parents be smart and overly cautious.
Always excellent advice, @KaliaMonet! I think, in general, email messages have proven to be fraught with problems and are best followed up with perhaps a good internet search, a visit to the official website and/or a phone call to the organization itself. We never can be too careful, particularly when it involves our finances and sensitive personal data.
08-22-2016 06:55 PM
Perhaps this background info will help. Here's the first part of one article:
Social Security Retreats From Cellphone-Based Online Security
"Never mind — at least, for now.
That’s what the Social Security Administration told those with online “mySocialSecurity” accounts, two weeks after announcing that they would be required to have cellphones to receive security code texts in order to log on to the accounts.
Social Security recipients can use the online accounts to manage their benefits, such as selecting a bank account for automatic deposit.
Workers who don’t yet receive benefits can use the accounts to obtain estimates of future benefits and to check their earnings statements to make sure the estimates are based on correct information.
After an outcry from older Americans, as well as a letter from two United States senators, the agency backed off the cellphone-based code requirement.
“Our aggressive implementation inconvenienced or restricted access to some of our account holders,” said a statement emailed by an agency spokesman, Mark Hinkle. “We are listening to the public’s concerns and are responding by temporarily rolling back this mandate.”
The change means users can log on to their online “mySocialSecurity” accounts as before, with just a username and password.
If they want, they can choose the text option as added security feature, as has been the case since the accounts were first offered in 2012.
The agency made text codes mandatory on July 30, saying it was doing so to comply with an executive order requiring federal agencies to upgrade their online security.
The codes served as a type of multifactor authentication, in which information beyond a user name and password is used to help protect sensitive personal information online. Many banks and online services offer text verification.
But many people, especially older ones, complained that the requirement was unreasonable; fewer older Americans use cellphones, and some said they found texting difficult. In addition, technical glitches hampered access to the site, even for users with texting capability.
On Aug. 12, Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, chairwoman of the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, the ranking minority member, wrote to the Social Security Administration to express concern.
While they understood the rationale for the change, they said, methods for stronger fraud protection “must be considered relative to the needs and circumstances of the target population.”
“The new policy puts a high burden on American seniors, many of whom may not own a cellphone,” they wrote.
On Aug. 13, the Social Security Administration removed the texting requirement and said it planned to introduce alternative authentication options, in addition to texting, within the next six months.
“We regret any inconvenience individuals may have experienced,” the administration’s statement said... "
08-22-2016 06:58 PM
More info from the same article:
"Here are some questions and answers about Social Security benefits:
Should I use the optional text-code feature?
The Social Security Administration’s website “highly” recommends that users who have a text-capable cellphone sign up for the text-verification option.
Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, says other methods of multifactor authentication — like smartphone apps that create one-time codes — offer superior protection, but that the text option at least provides some benefit.
“Certainly, set it up,” he said. “A little extra security is better than no extra security.”
What if I don’t want to manage my Social Security benefits online?
Even if you don’t expect to be a regular user of a mySocialSecurity account, there may be a benefit to establishing one.
Creating an account can help prevent someone from fraudulently creating one with stolen information, because the system allows creation of just one account per Social Security number, says Brian Krebs, a security blogger.
So if you already have an account, a criminal who obtained personal information, like your Social Security number, couldn’t create one to try to steal your benefit payments.
The Social Security Administration offers similar advice.
Can I block all electronic access to my Social Security data?
Yes. The Social Security Administration website notes that victims of identity theft or those who have suffered domestic violence may want to block electronic access to their Social Security record by following steps on the website.
Doing so prevents anyone — including you — from gaining access to your record, both online and through the agency’s automated telephone system."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/your-money/social-security-cellphone-text-code.html?_r=0
08-22-2016 07:04 PM
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